California Supreme Court
Nov. 11, 2025
State Supreme Court strikes down law punishing false police misconduct complaints
The California Supreme Court ruled 6-1 that a state law making it a crime to file knowingly false complaints against police officers violates the First Amendment, finding it deters legitimate reports of misconduct. Justice Joshua P. Groban wrote the majority opinion, while Justice Goodwin P. Liu dissented.
The state Supreme Court ruled 6-1 on Monday that a Penal Code section, which criminalizes knowingly false complaints against police officers and requires complainants to sign an advisory, violates the First Amendment.
Justice Joshua P. Groban, writing for the majority, stated that the Penal Code's provisions "threaten censorship of ideas" by deterring citizens from filing truthful or well-intentioned complaints of police misconduct.
Groban sided with the Ci...
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